Dr. Arpad Pusztai on the Toxicity of Genetically Engineered Bt Crops

NOTE: This is a very slightly edited version of an affidavit provided in evidence by Dr. Arpad Pusztai to India's Supreme Court. It usefully summarises research done worldwide on the toxicity of Bt crops. Dr. Pusztai, incidentally, is widely acknowledged as being the world's foremost nutritional expert on lectins, and the Bt toxin is a form of lectin.

EXTRACT: The MON 863 study revealed that feeding rats on transgenically expressed Bt toxin in maize caused kidney and liver problems in addition to interfering with the normal growth of young rats (Seralini et al. 2007). Bt toxin expressed in potatoes caused major changes in the small intestine of mice (Fares, N.H. and El-Sayed, A.K. (1998). Fine structural changes in the ileum of mice fed on delta-endotoxin-treated potatoes and transgenic potatoes (Natural Toxins 6, 219-233). The evidence for the survival of the Bt toxins in the digestive tract and internal organs is clear-cut. --- --- Dr Arpad Pusztai, FRSE

AFFIDAVIT

I am afraid, we come back to the same old problem: the absence of data in the submission for allowing the large scale field trial of Bt brinjal (eggplant) makes it impossible to formulate a critical evaluation of the proposal. Unless there is now access to the GEAC* arguments (in favour of the Bt brinjal large-scale field trials) based on actual results, hard data and SCIENCE and not PR, one can only exchange opinions and insults with the GEAC. Their assurances that they have these results but will not disclose them to us for evaluation are worthless. (*the GEAC is India's apex GM regulatory body)

With the work of Vazquez-Padron and others, however, it has been demonstrated that Bt toxins bind not only to the insect gut but also to the mammalian gut, leading to various immunity problems. (Bernstein, I.L., Bernstein, J.A., Miller, M., Tierzieva, S., Bernstein, D.I., Lummus, Z., Selgrade, M.K., Doerfler, D.L. and Seligy, V.L. (1999). Immune responses in farm workers after exposure to Bacillus thuringiensis pesticides (Environmental Health Perspectives 107, 575-582) The claimed exclusiveness of the specificity of Bt toxin-binding to the insect gut can therefore no longer be maintained, as there is credible scientific evidence that some Bt toxins will also bind to the gut of mammalian species (A. Pusztai and S.Bardocz: GMO in animal nutrition: potential benefits and risks. In: "Biology of Nutrition in Growing Animals" (ed. Mosenthin, R. Zentek, J.and Zebrowska, T.) 2006 Elsevier Limited, pp. 513-540).

The MON 863 study revealed that feeding rats on transgenically expressed Bt toxin in maize caused kidney and liver problems in addition to interfering with the normal growth of young rats (Seralini et al. 2007). Bt toxin expressed in potatoes caused major changes in the small intestine of mice (Fares, N.H. and El-Sayed, A.K. (1998). Fine structural changes in the ileum of mice fed on delta-endotoxin-treated potatoes and transgenic potatoes (Natural Toxins 6, 219-233). The evidence for the survival of the Bt toxins in the digestive tract and internal organs is clear-cut. Thus, it is expected that the situation with Bt brinjal will not be different. Accordingly, all the already described potentially harmful effects on consumers of the Bt toxins can also be expected to occur with Bt brinjal. As their release into the environment is an irreversible act, sanctioning such large scale field trials would be highly irresponsible.

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